. we did it again. >> rick santorum jumps right back in the race with a sweep in the deep south, putting newt gingrich on the ropes. but he says he's ready to rumble on the convention floor. >> i emphasized going to tampa because one of the things tonight proved the elite media's effort to convince the nation that mitt romney is inevitable just collapsed. >> the third place finishes leaving mitt romney with nothing

but the math and money and more people doubting that that may be enough as we move on your "early start." good morning everyone welcome to "early start" i'm ashleigh banfield. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. we're bringing you news from a to z, 5:00 a.m. in the east. >> alabama, mississippi, rick santorum a southern sweep. >> a heartbreaking tragedy in switzerland, 22 children killed when a bus crashed in the wall of a tunnel. that bus carrying 46 children, and six adults was returning to belgium after a school ski trip. a total of 28 people died, police are investigating now. prosecutors in alabama plan to seek the death penalty against this woman, accused of literally running her 9-year-old granddaughter to death. the girl was forced to run around the family house for

hours as punishment for lying about eating chocolate. >> president obama and david cameron holding formal talks at the white house with the war in afghanistan, iran's nuclear program, syrian crisis and the global economy all on the table. a little fun as well. one minute past 5:00, rick santorum's stung southern sweep. the polls had him behind by double digits in mississippi and alabama and whamo, the real numbers came out. hard core conservatives came out and put him through this race. the final numbers from mississippi, rick santorum 33% on the leader board. newt gingrich at 31%, mitt romney just 1% behind at 30. >> it was a bigger margin in alabama, santorum wins 35% of the vote, gingrich beats romney for second place by 2,000 votes. romney did manage to win hawaii, 20 point win over santorum but

he's not slowing down, not for a second. >> we're going to spend two days campaigning in puerto rico because we want to make sure everybody knows we're campaigning everywhere there are delegates because we are going to win this nomination before that convention. >> well, that is what you say, but here are the next three stops that you have to pull off on the primary trail. missouri, the caucuses are this saturday. and that will give a full 52 delegates to the race. puerto rico coming up this sunday, 23 delegates and illinois, a big one, primary is next week, on tuesday, with a whopping 69 delegates. paul steinhouser is live from atlanta, typing away at the poll questions now for the next three races. what a thrilling ride it was last night to spend with our cnn team watching the outcome, neck and neck, we don't have hawaii yet, still neck in neck. here is the question, what the heck happened to newt?

>> newt gingrich under-performed and rick santorum over-performed. you'll get in the exit polls, santorum won. in alabama and mississippi, born again christians, that was the vast majority, santorum one. i joined from you a station outside birmingham, alabama, most people were pulling for santorum. our jim accosta asked if he will ask newt gingrich to drop out of the race. santorum said no. gingrich does not sound like he's about to drop out. here's what he said last night. >> i want to tell you a second what will become a challenge we will have three or four days of news media, why doesn't gingrich quit, these are the same people last june i was dead. they recycle it every six weeks. the biggest challenge is raising money we came in second, which is as much as we wanted we will

get between santorum and myself we will get over two-thirds of the delegates and the so-called front-runner will get less than one-third of the delegates. >> teaming up with rick santorum, santorum not crazy about that, ashleigh. >> hawaii coming in, so all those races, so here's the deal. listen, romney may be looking at this as a third place finish but he still comes out with a whopping almost half of the delegates, still a good deal, isn't it? >> exactly. it's all proportional, and he won hawaii and a memerican samo. before last night or before the results were in last night, romney spoke with wolf blitzer, here is what he had to say about santorum. >> senator santorum is at the desperate end of his campaign and trying to boost his prospects and frankly, misrepresenting the truth is not a good way of doing that. >> why do you think he's a

desperate end of his campaign? >> well, he's far behind in the delegate count, he's far behind in the popular vote count. >> this is before hawaii, hawaii just happened in the last few minutes. romney with more than two to one advantage. ashleigh, there was no hq last night, they were trying to downplay last night a little bit they didn't think they would win and obviously, they didn't. >> what is hq. >> headquarters. >> technical talk. >> you are such a geek. >> i'm a little bit of a geek. i appreciate that. illinois, remember we were saying about michigan, ohio, next tuesday, now all about illinois. >> then pennsylvania, aren't you? >> pretty much, yeah. >> one last quick question about the exit polling, that is this. that whole thing about the desperate end of the campaign it looks to me if you look at the exit polling, people said we

really like this santorum guy but think romney is more electable yet we're voting by our hearts. >> a lot of people saying that, you're right on electability who can beat president obama in november, mitt romney is on top. >> i'm not so sure the strategery in that one. stick around you're busy this morning. paul steinhouser joining us live. >> we'll talk about exit polls. mitt romney outspent his opponents in three to one in alabama and mississippi, evangelicals and hard core conservatives had rick santorum's back. he made sure they knew he was grateful. >> you stood with a guy who comes from the grandson of a coal miner from a steal town in -- steel town in western pennsylvania he shared your values and would work for you and the integrity of the family and centrality of faith in our lives.

>>r romans is examining the exiting polling to see how he pulled off the sweep. >> the comment is pitch perfect what we see in the exiting polling. i want to start in mississippi, as you know we ask the questions of people as they leave the polling place and what is kind of interesting is when you look at the breakdown of sex and gender you can see women went for rick santorum. 35% of women said rick santorum was who they supported. mitt romney for women came in second, 32%. newt gingrich at 29%. something that is interesting as well here when you look at the conservative ideology and see what people are voting on, it's so exactly deep south politics here. you see someone who considers themselves very conservative, rick santorum got this vote and newt gingrich came in second.

when you talk to people who consider themselves somewhat conservative, that is where mitt romney peeks through and actually leads the package when you talk to people who consider themselves a moderate or a liberal republican, that's where mitt romney stands out. it's also pretty interesting too, you guys, mitt romney did well the high upper the income and education scale and age scale. that is where mitt romney had to break out. when you ask the importance of someone's religion in this scenario, you can see this is where rick santorum really, really rules the day. for those who said that a candidate's religion matters to them a great deal, that was santorum territory, 43%. deep south voters, women and men, people who make a little bit of money, middle of the income range, except for people who make 100,000 and more, these people went for rick santorum. >> don't necessarily mirror the rest of the country in that big

general election outlook. >> no, here's the thing. this is such a great point that paul was making and you were making with ashleigh, paul, people say we think that mitt romney is the most electable but they are maybe casting their vote for something else entirely. they are cast kg the vote for the truest conservative in the south and that is something that may be a hallmark of southern voting because mitt romney is consolidating delegates but not consolidating hearts and minds in the south. >> was there electability in the polling. >> they think mitt romney has electability factor but voted for rick santorum. >> 10 past, thanks christine. a look at what is making top stories. new violence in afghanistan, one officer killed until a motorcycle bomb blast in cana kandah kandahar, where 16 villagers were massacrmassacred, this com

defense secretary leon panetta arrived unannounced in afghanistan to speak to u.s. and afghan troops. the jury is expected to get the case of a former rutgers university student accused of using a webcam to spy on his gay roommate's intimate encounter and streaming it on the web. closing arguments rapped up yesterday. the roommate, tyler clementi later committed suicide by jumping off the george washington bridge. chevron is soping up an oil spill in mississippi. that company says 45 barrels of heavy oil leaked in the water around the pascagoula refinery wharf. they are using boats and boom to contain. this is an area the size of seven football fields. george clooney will be on capitol hill, testifying at a congressional hearing on the human rights crisis in sudan. he accuses the government of war crimes against civilians.

so clooney and john prendergast will be soledad's guests on starting point. rob marciano has been busy watching the ins and outs of the weather story if you're traveling or looking to get outside, hello. >> good morning, ladies, if you're getting outside, enjoy. temperatures well above average. check out record-breakers, in some cases 20, 25, maybe 30 degrees above it. 84 degrees in st. louis yesterday. that is a record breaker. same deep in joplin at 83. little rock, 79. 7 0 in albany. today, 70, good 20 plus degrees above average, 7 # in philadelphia, same deal, almost 80 potentially in d.c. today, that is well over 20 degrees above average as well. across parts of the upper midwest, 77 in chicago, the heat will continue to bake the western great lakes for the next

couple days, as a matter of fact, come st. patrick's day, that could be your warmest st. patrick's day in chicago in over 100 years. might see the green river bubbling up a little bit. the heat pump, sub-tropical high, this is a may scenario than mid-march, but on the west coast, feels more like winter, very strong jet stream plowing in the pacific northwest and sierra nevadas, san francisco through tahoe, you are knee fin it, snow piling up there. tomorrow, 70 in chicago, might cool-down get the jacket out, 60 in new york city to for the high temperature tomorrow. >> 60. >> pretty toasty. >> did you say cool-down to 60 in new york. >> how about that. >> it has been nice, thank you very much. >> i'm hoping we won't extrapolate 110 degrees by may. >> no, no. >> you're promising me. >> could be a good thing. 13 minutes past the hour. just in, gas prices rising for

the fifth day in a row. >> look at your number, folks, that what is you're facing at the pump as you head to work and fill up. new national average is $3.81. gas prices have now jumped by more than 16% so far this year. so take that for politicians who think we're doing better in the economy, gas prices don't seem to reflect that. that is one measure. still ahead, moments of confusion and fear on a plane when a flight attendant flips out. [ screaming ] >> passenger said she ranted about crashing and september 11th. the 911 calls are out, we'll let you listen to them. >> gas prices, wall street was soaring yesterday and just might mean your 401 k is a wee bit fatter today. good vibes from the fed, we

have the perfect person to tell you what it means. >> that was an irish brogued. >> canada too, dangerous for dick cheney? we'll explain. you're watching "early start." [ male announcer ] we asked real people if they'd help us with an experiment for febreze fabric refresher, they agreed. [ experimenter 1 ] relax, take some nice deep breaths. [ experimenter 2 ] at do you smell? lilac. clean. there's something that's really fresh. a little bit beach-y. like children's blankets. smells like home. [ experimenter 1 ] okay take your blindfolds off. ♪ hello? [ male announcer ] if febreze fabric refresher can freshen this couch, what can it do for yours? febreze fabric refresher -- breathe happy. ♪ made with only milk... cream... a touch of sugar... and pure natural flavors. ♪

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good morning, new york, a beautiful 50 degrees with the tower cam shot and guess what? rob marciano said it, warming up to 68. >> feels like it's 68 already. >> gorgeous, yesterday it felt like 80. >> enjoy it while it lasts. 18 minutes past the hour. time to check stories making news. here is christine romans again. a stunning sweep in the south for rick santorum, pulled off a six point win over newt gingrich in alabama last night with mitt romney finishing third and edged gingrich by two points in mississippi, vowing to win the nomination before the republican convention. check out this police chase in los angeles, officers pursued a pick up truck more than half an hour at normal speeds before

patrol car performed a pit maneuver. the couple surrendered, and there was a baby in the car. the woman accused of helping to run a high end prostitution ring in new york, is free on bail. his client was vacationing, and not avoiding authorities. anna gristina was being held on $2 million. the encyclopedia britannica is suspending production. they will still be available in digital form, the publishers plan to add a new range of educational products. i know, when my mom and dad bought these. >> i'm saving them. do you have yours? >> oh, yeah. >> it's upsetting. i don't want my kids to be using them for school projects now

because they are outdated but there is something about that. >> collector's item. >> you can't surf anything when you read an encyclopedia. >> you got that right. we turned out okay, didn't we? >> dead silence. >> the jury is still out. thank you, christine. 19 minutes past the hour here, we're getting an early read on local news making national headlines. we have papers from new york city, los angeles and houston. >> they are somewhere. >> the new york times, we have brand new scientific research published this morning that says 3.7 million americans are at risk from constant coastal flooded expecting in coming deck atds. the experts are blaming a rise in the sea level on global warming. the entire american coastline has some risk factor here with half of the nation's at risk population living on the florida coast. louisiana, california, new york and new jersey also majorly threatened.

scientists say the nation must begin to plan to re treat from the coast. here is good news maybe i could share with you, they will publish the report online and you can search your zip code to find out what your exposure is. >> i worry if we need water wings, working in manhattan. you know whether we said we sort of have the paper, we do the -- here is my version of the l.a. times, a drinking water story. cows are popping so much and we're using so much fertilization that our ground water, especially for particular group of people in this area becoming so contaminated with nitrates it's almost undrinkable. the prices to combat this may be cheaper to get other water supplies that fix the nitrate problem. that is the story if you can imagine, we have so many dairy cows and using fertilization, getting in the ground takes years and years to do this and one of the solutions if you

don't go with the cheaper form is to use that poopy ground water, nitrate-rich ground water to irrigate, you use nitrate-rich water yet again, those minerals go in the ground and they filter, you get cleaner water going in the ground system. it's quite a story when you think about it. >> if you're having breakfast, sorry about that. >> just the truth i'm sorry. san antonio express, the federal government is exploring more civil approaches against illegal immigration, they are unveiling a new immigration detention center in texas, does not look much like a prison. detainees held in suites or dorms with televisions and a private bathroom in them. you're taking a look right there, those are pictures, the lowest facility has a soccer field and other recreation computer labs with internet access. similar detention centers are planned in florida, illinois, everybody is in an up roar, $32 million facility and these are non-violent low-risk individuals

and would be cheaper, maybe $12 a day to use ankle bracelets to monitor them as opposed to $122 per person per day in that facility. >> those were nicer than my college dorm. >> no kidding. beautiful, library. 22 minutes past 5:00 on the east coast, we like to get in your business. we mind your business. the u.s. markets big time rally folks, they are applauding for a reason the dow closed well above 13,000. it's the highest close since the end of 2007! >> do you believe it? >> dow up 8% this year. >> forget all the bad stuff that happened since 2007, we erased it all. >> the nasdaq closed at the highest level since the year 2000. the federal reserve says the nations banks passed a so-called stress test. what is that? >> i wouldn't pass one. >> you know how you get on the

treadmill and run and they are checking all your vital signs to make sure in a controlled situation to see how you can handle the stresses that is what the fed does to the banks. puts them in a stressful situation runs them through whether they can withstand a bunch of things like a stock market crash, big crash, housing prices down another 20%, could they withstand 13% unemployment, what would the capital reserves look like, cash cushion, how would they be able to withstand running on the tread mill under those terrible circumstances for the economy and the fed came out and said most of the banks can do it all but four are in perfectly fine shape. it's -- they are healthy. they passed the test. their hearts are getting stronger. almost all the banks in the bail out banks, this is what it was for, get them back on feet. they want to make sure none will take the economy down and they did well. earlier the fed said the economy was getting better, there was a fed meeting yesterday. that helped things, jp morgan released their own stress test data and said we will be paying

a dividend, doing so great, we're doing so great we will be able to give money back to the shareholder, that is when the stock market took off and the fed after the closing bell released the results for all the others, you will see bank stocks really kind of moving around a bit today. tech stocks also did well yesterday, the nasdaq above 3,000. you have the dow above 13,000, nasdaq above 3,000 for the first time in history, good momentum yesterday, really good momentum on the market and the s&p reflects the stocks in your portfolio, up 11%. led by technology and financial stocks. your 401-k has had a good return, we know the economy will look better, we know the banks can withstand a tough run on the treadmill and that's good for the economy. and we know that it's been a good start to the year.

>> if the banks are doing so well can we expect them to drop all those crazy fees they keep imposing? >> i don't think you will ever see that. >> an analyst said it's the bank's fault we expect free things, we don't expect free cell phone service, free dvd service, free computer service those are utilities we pay for, banking is like that. the bank's fault they gave it for free and took it away. i think what you want to see from healthy banks is more lending, if they can strong and healthy, we want more lending. >> you'll tell me about your conversation with president clinton? >> he has thoughts on jobs. >> she is always working no matter she bumps into president clinton and she is working. >> thank you very much. >> 26 minutes past the hour. ahead on "early start" from desperate end to new beginning, rick santorum's southern surge rising again in the south, adding up the delegate count. unwanted visitor, robber tries to pull a fast one at a

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flight attendant screaming about a plane crash and apparent mental meltdown. >> looks like they are physically retraining a flight attendant. >> they are physically restra restraining the flight attendant? >> yeah, she lost it. >> a rant that included if you can believe it references to 9-11. we'll have some of the 911 calls from inside that plane in a moment. you're watching "early start."

30 minutes past 5:00 on the east coast, welcome back to "early start" i'm ashleigh banfield. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. rick santorum pulling off a stunning southern sweep with victories in mississippi and alabama, newt gingrich finished second in both state, mitt romney was third. gingrich says he is staying in the race. romney's campaign looking ahead to tuesday's contest in illinois. purchasing almost $1 million in ad time. >> travel day for leon panetta, he arrived unannounced in afghanistan overnight. all of this as fury erupted in the streets in that country. reuters is reporting a motorcycle blast killed at least one afghan security officer, in the same city where a u.s. soldier allegedly killed several women and children in a massacre. traffic is once again flowing over the landmark brooklyn bridge in new york. it was briefly shut down last

night after a crane being towed in the east river hit the under side of the bridge. you know what, i saw the pile up i was wondering what was going on. scaffolding was damaged, but no injuries reported. >> that's amazing. look at that video. you never think a boat can do that with a crane. the iditarod, a great story we have the winner of the dog sledding race, he has mushing in his blood, folks. dallas seavey sounds like a rodeo winner, he set the record for the youngest ever to win the grueling race beat come bet tors including his dad and grandfather who competed in the first race 40 years ago. look at that dog. >> nice tradition. >> those dogs are amazing. just amazing. >> 32 minutes past the hour. newt gingrich may have had the home field advantage, the south is very much santorum country. the final numbers from mississippi's primary, santorum

30%, newt gingrich 31%. bigger margin in alabama, santorum 35%. gingrich beats romney by 2,000 votes. romney won hawaii, 20 point win over tore rum. and santorum sounding -- >> the time is now to make sure, to make sure that we have the best chance to win this election, the best chance to win this election is to nominate a conservative to go up against barack obama who can take him on on every issue. >> so, let's talk about this surprising win. live from washington democratic strategist jamie harrison, penny nance and jonathan strawn. i hear congratulations, you have a new baby? >> her name is susan, she is

beautiful. >> give me details. how much does she weigh, how gorgeous is she? >> she was born march 1st, 7 pounds, 8 ounces, 24 inches, and mom's doing well and we're just overjoyed to have a beautiful baby girl. >> congratulations. >> we'll talk about newt gingrich if that is okay with you. he is vowing he will not step down despite saying earlier these were must-wins for him and he went on to say he thought the media would be all over him about the fact that he should step down. ed rogers says this in "the washington post." newt gingrich lost the only chance he had at creating a rationale for his candidacy. he is a great rationalizer, it will be interesting to see how he explains the current circumstances, unless he is staying in the race to help romney, there is no point to his campaign. is he right? >> well, last night we actually saw quotes coming out of gingrich's campaign and he's like kind of now officially on a

kamikaze mission to thwart romney's candidacy. he said the purpose, this is from a spokesman, r c hammond, to keep mitt romney from getting 1100 delegates. which is an interesting switch. he's not even saying that he can get the number of delegates you need to win the thing. >> so do you think, also, he perhaps wants influence at the convention? kind of what ron paul said he wants. >> he's referring to scenarios from decades and decades ago when somebody, warren harding came from behind and won at the convention, we have not seen that in a long time, this is the kind of imaginative path to victory by the gingrich campaign. >> penny, you endorse santorum, he won the vote of women last night. let's look at it in alabama he won 38% of the vote, in mississippi 35%. but overall, southern states are

more conservative and if you look at the latest new york times-cbs poll, women voters, 50% go to obama to santorum's 40%. is this going to be a looming problem ahead as we go to less conservative states? >> i don't think so. actually, rick, as you said, did very, very well with the women and youth vote. the candidates in the republican primary are taking it to each other. they need to take the fight to obama. if you look at the cbs-new york times polling over what the president did on the hhs mandate not even women supported him on that. so the new rhetoric from the obama campaign has been now reaching out to women, they realize i think they blew it last week. you will see more work for women, but i think this is not a race yet against obama when santorum takes it to obama he will do very well. women view him as being very authentic, he's a family man.

he's very relatable, he's the walmart candidate. married women, women are not monolihic. we can't just be one segment. married women -- santorum does very well with married women and women with children. so, it's not one or the other. i think you will see him do very well overall with women when it comes down to a vote between he and barack obama. jamie, president obama's team is ignoring the win. if the general election were held today, president obama would lose to mitt romney. according to the latest poll from washington post abc news we can't under estimate someone like romney who has shown he will spend and say anything to win. david axelrod the president's advise tweeted at mitt romney you know what they say as

america samoa goes, so goes the nation. should obama's team be refocussing their attacks in light of santorum's win? >> it looks like the conventional wisdom romney will eventually still be the republican nominee. he's a very weak front runner, but just looking at the numbers, the path to the nomination is still his for the taking. and so, i think it is knee order for the obama campaign team to focus their attention on him at the moment. but mitt romney is probably the weakest front-runner i've seen in a very, very long time. >> jonathan, penny, jamie, i have to leave it there. see you again in the 6:00 hour. >> thanks. this is cnn breaking news. want to get you breaking news off the coast of japan, a 6.8 magnitude quake has hit. if you do the math. this is three days after the

anniversary of the earthquake in japan that wreaked havoc, caused the tsunami and nuclear reactor disaster at fukishima plant. rob, what is the story? far enough and not quite strong enough to do major damage but 6.8 magnitude quake is enough to do shaking. it's shallow, at ten kilometers, 150 miles from the northern island, and 200 to 300 miles northeast of sendai. there are tsunami advisories in effect for the northeastern coast line of the big island. won't be a big one, maybe a half meter or so, will probably happen now or over the next hour or so, this is not going to be big enough to propagate a tsunami eastward across the pacific. this is a 6.8 magnitude quake. a quake has to be 7 or larger to

produce a larger tsunami, advisories across the northeastern coast line of the northern eye lanlisland. there was shaking felt, the question is how much damage across this part of japan. nothing like last year. >> scary for the people in that region. >> just so close in time. rob, thanks, keep an for us. still to come, a flight a teatent -- attendant screaming the top of her lungs, the passengers certainly had a reaction to her meltdown, you'll hear about it in a moment. an attempted drive-through robbery, ow, look at this. brazen, yeah. videos rolling, oh, yeah. some heroic action by two fast food workers, priceless. you're watching "early start."

43 minutes past the hour. just released 911 calls are revealing the confusion on board an american airlines flight last week where a flight attendant had to be restrained bypass enjers after she started screaming like a mad woman that the plane was going to crash [ screaming ] >> can you imagine being on board that plane? that was cell phone video from one of the passengers on board american airlines flight 2332, while that was happening, other passengers were using their phones to call for help. alina cho says what the phone calls are revealing this morning. >> i think when everyone heard about story we wondered what in the world would provoke someone to do this. we're getting clues now. here is what happened.

remember the flight was headed from dallas to chicago last friday, and as the plane began taxing to the runway, the flight attendant snapped. she got on the p a system telling the plane was going to crash, screaming about 9-11. other flight attendants and passengers tried to restrain her. listen to these 911 tapes that have been released. you can hear the fear in the passengers voices. you can also hear how the 911 operators at first don't believe what they are hearing. >> we're on flight 2332, and they are talking on the radio about crashing our plane. >> okay, who is talk about crashing your plane? >> the attendant over the pa. >> you're on board a flight? yes. >> currently on board the flight and attendants are announcing over the pa system they will crash the plane?

>> yes. >> dps communications how cane help you? i'm on a plane flight 2332. >> i have a second caller for it. >> you can see the panic and the confusion eventually as the 911 operator starts to get a clue about what is happening. >> i was ghetting sucked into i. >> especially when you hear the 911 operator yelling out "i got a second call" finally realizing, thinking back to 9-11 this is how it might have started. >> what on earth kicked it off? >> quite surprising, we're getting a big clue, ultimately not clear, she suffered this flight attendant suffered a mental episode. another flight attend and told police she was bipolar and had not taken her medication. the 43-year-old flight attendant, not been identified, had to be taken off the plane in

leg restraints and tried to spit on an emt at one point. you can imagine the confusion. now listen to this, on starting point on monday, soledad spoke to connor ford, one of the passengers who helped out. >> were the passengers completely freaking out? >> not really, they weren't all freaking out. some were upset you could tell but mostly was confusion, wondering what was happening, why wasn't anybody taking control, i would say would be the overall feeling of the plane at that time. >> bipolar disorder is a difficult disease. how is she, will she face charges? >> that is the next big question, right, how is the flig flight attendant doing? she was taken to a hospital for treatment. local and federal investigators say at this point it does not appear she had criminal intent they likely will not file criminal charges against her. of course there will be an internal investigation but the interesting part about this is

that apparently it got so out of hand that one of the passengers who was apparently a big man, was trying to restrain her and even he had a tough time holding her down, so it took flight attendants and passengers to get her under control. >> no air marshall on this one? >> it doesn't appear so, because that air marshall would have acted. >> i called it a disease, it's a disorder. it can be powerful. >> will she keep her job? >> that is the big question we'll have to wait and see. american airlines is looking into it. >> thank you, alina. still to come on "early start" days after a somber anniversary, another earthquake off the coast of japan, the very latest details for you. plus visiting iraq during war time, no problem for dick cheney, why is canada too dangerous for the former vice president? we'll get to the bottom of that. you're watching "early start." i love chevy truck month.

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5:00. christine romans hard at work with the stories. >> good morning you guys. breaking news, powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake rocked northern japan. officials are warning of possible tsunami in the very same region hit last year, triggering a nuclear disaster at fukishima. the epicenter is 146 miles south of kishiro, japan. we will follow this as more develop. 6.8 magnitude in japan. rick santorum pulled off a stunning sweep in alabama and mississippi last night, mitt romney took hawaii. next up, the missouri caucus on saturday, the puerto rico primary sunday, and illinois primary on tuesday. a homeless man in south florida turning a fast food drive through window in a dive-through. a quick thinking burger king cashier grabbed his shirt, another worker slammed him on the floor and held him until

police arrived. dick cheney is citing safety concerns as the reason for cancelling an appearance in canada. the former vice president was supposed to be in toronto with his daughter next month. security advisors say their personal safety was at risk from protesters who call him a war criminal. ladies? 52 minutes past the hour. a man sues apple saying siri isn't as smart as she looks. >> that is not nice, is it? mitt romney also in our top stories ahead, repeating his pledge to get rid of planned parenthood. obama campaign firing back saying women cannot trust him. you're watching "early start." l was founded back in 1894, they've been committed to putting clients first. helping generations through tough times. good times. never taking a bailout. there when you need them. helping millions of americans over the centuries. the strength of a global financial leader. the heart of a one-to-one relationship.

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it is five minutes before 6:00 coast. we're looking at what is trending on the interwebs and social media. siri, find me a lawyer, how about that one. apparently a new york man filed a class action lawsuit because he's none too pleased with the performance of the tool saying siri ain't as smart as she looks on the advertisements. the commercial siri, do this, and bingo you got it. the guy says it doesn't always work that way. he's saying siri's ads are misleading and deceptive, calling it actual fiction. how about that. >> some folks love siri. nike steps in it. they are now apologizing for a

st. patrick's day theme sneaker, there it is, that became known as the black and tan. why is this a problem? supposed to be named after the drink, the black and tam, had no idea, made by mixing stout and lager it refers to a british force that became notorious in the 1920's for its attacks on irish civilians during the war of independence. >> how are they supposed to know that. >> retailers didn't, nike is apologizing. >> maybe they failed history. not fair. three minutes before 6:00. rick santorum sweeping the south. with all that momentum, how about the math? how about the money? does he got it? we'll talk about it. we'll talk about it. you're watching "early start". -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com [ man 2 ] yummy. i got that wrong didn't i? [ male announcer ] want great taste and whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol? honey nut cheerios.

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we did it again. >> rick santorum jumping right back in to things this morning with a nice big deep sweep of the south, putting newt gingrich on the ropes but he says he is ready to rumble anyway, right on to the convention floor. >> i emphasized going to tampa because one of the things tonight proved is that the elite media's effort to convince the nation that mitt romney is inevitable just collapsed. >> the third place finishes leaving mitt romney with nothing but the map and, of course, the money. more people doubting that is enough, as we move on on your "early start." >> good morning, everyone. welcome to "early start." i'm ashleigh banfield. >> i am zoraida sambolin. we are happy you are with us. a grandmother is facing the dt penalty allegedly forszing

that little girl, a 9-year-old little girl to run until she literally drops dead. and we're hearing this was all over a candy bar. also, hot spots are people, too? seriously? homeless people apparently turning into walking hot spots, walking wi-fi stations. it's being called a charitable experiment but some folks are saying this is just exploitation at its worse. we're going to talk to the person who came up with the idea. you might be surprised why some people are saying it's a great idea. your top stories. alabama, mississippi, santorum country, folk. all this morning, all his. former pennsylvania senator pulling off on improbable southern sweep and winning the nomination before the republican convention. new overnight, leon panetta arriving unannounced the afghanistan to try and diffuse a crisis. new fury this morning. a motorcycle blast killing one

afghan security officer in the same city where a u.s. soldier is accused of killing several women and children in a massacre over the weekend. president obama and british prime minister david cameron holding formal talks at the white house today after arriving here yesterday. talks over afghanistan, iran's nuclear program, the syrian crisis, and, of course, the global economy. all of those topics on the table today. >> we're going to start here with breaking news. powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake has rocked northern japan. we were a little concerned about whether or not it would turn into a tsunami. is it yes or is it no, rob? >> it would only with a local one. this is nowhere near the 9.0 quake that happened just a year ago over there. 9.0 over 6. huge difference. 2,000 times more energy released. but 6.8 is nothing to sneeze at. it can do some damage and they

felt the shaking across the northern island of honshu. here's sendai and fukushima with last year's quake. the northern island feeling some shaking with this but the tsunami advisory that has been issued by the japan meteorological agency, issued for the north eaeastern honshu, think probably less than a meter of a wave. nothing like a massive tsunami like last year but certainly enough for people to feel it and light damage and enough to give people at least moving quickly away from the coast in anticipation of a small tsunami across the northeastern honshu. >> or really bad memories three difficu days after the anniversary. he didn't eat grits and he didn't spend millions but rick santorum sure did enjoy a nice helping of southern comfort last night. polls had him trailing in mississippi and alabama going into these contests but the

conservatives served up a big old win for rick santorum. >> final tally for mississippi, newt gingrich, 31%. mitt romney, 30%. and wider margin in alabama. santorum with 35%. gingrich beating by 2,000 votes. romney managed to win hawaii with a 20-point win over santorum but santorum sense heg has the momentum. >> we're going to spend two days campaigning in puerto rico because we want to make sure everybody knows we're campaigning everywhere there are delegates because we're going to win this nomination before that convention. >> and here are the next three stops on the trail. missouri caucus saturday, 52 delegates. the puerto rico primary on sunday with 23 delegates and illinois's primary tuesday with 69 delegates. cnn's political editor paul stein houser is live in atlanta. what happened? >> he over perform.

the former senator pr pennsylvania over performed with very conservative. he did really well for people who said they were born again christians. a lot of voters in mississippi and alabama. i was in a polling station yesterday outside of birmingham, alabama. that should be romney or gingrich territory. people said they voted for rick santorum. jim acosta caught up with santorum last night. asked rick santorum if he's asking gingrich to drop out. he'd said, no, let's g honest. this is looking like a santorum battle. gingrich, gingrich remains committed to marching on. here's what he said last night. >> i want to tell you just a second. what will become a challenge is we will now have three or four days of news media. these are the same people, by the way, who said last june that i was dead. recycle this every six weeks. and the biggest challenge will be raising money because we came

in second, which is as much as we wanted a wnd we will have gotten delegates. between santorum and myself we will get over two-thirds of the delegates. >> you have already seen voices from the republican establishment saying newt gingrich time to drop out but no course yet. >> let's talk about that delegate count. is it possible, i know that mitt romney believes he could still get the delegates he needs which is 1,444 fwfr convention. if you do the math is it possible for him to get there? >> he can still do it. it's going to take a while. late may, early june. the primary process doesn't end until the end of june. 49 before hawaii. hawaii, 17 delegates and mitt romney did win american samoa and those 9 delegates as well. he didn't have a speech last night. no hq from him no, headquarters. he did congratulate santorum but did point out in a statement he is expanding his lead in the delegates. zoraida?

>> on to illinois. thank you. mitt romney's millions and newt gingrich's hometown edge could not stop rick santorum from ruling the south because the other hard coren conservatives ended up in his corner. santorum made sure they knew he was grateful for having his back. >> you stood with a guy comes from the grandson of a coal miner from a steel town of western pennsylvania but you knew, shared your values, and was going to go out and work for you. and, of course, the integrity of the family and the centrality of faith in our lives. >> sure sounds nays when he talks. christine romans examining the exiting polling to see how santorum pulled off what a lot of people were saying was an improbable sweep. >> family and faith resonated among women in the south. i want to look at the exit polling from alabama and i want to break down gender here and see how different people went.

when you look at women, rick santorum resonated with them, especially married women. 38% of women told the exit pollsters they voted for santorum. gingrich is third there with 25%. men, newt gingrich actually won men in alabama. santorum came in second, mitt romney third there. you know, with a nod, i guess, to newt gingrich and the media bias looking for reasons to push romney, let's take a look at what it took. let's slice the data to see exactly what it took for mitt romney to get on the scoreboard here. you know. it's a few different things that really worked for him. and frankly you have to kind of dig a little bit deeper to find it all. take a look at people who make $100,000 or more. mitt romney, no problem there. 36%. people who consider themselves moderate or liberal, by southern standards and republican standards in alabama, 3% of those people went for mitt romney. people who oppose the tea party,

41% of the people who told pollsters i am against the tea party, they supposed forred romney. and people who say the economy is a top issue, they went for romney. other than that other than that i have just told you, this was santorum territory, top to bottom, guys. mitt romney's not licking his wounds from the southern shutout. he's touting the 2-1 delegate gap between him and his chief rival. he is campaigning in missouri. romney offered a few suggestions on how he could cut the deficit, including his plan for planned parents r parenthood. >> my test is pretty simple, is the program so critical it's worth borrowing money to pay for it. on that basis, of course you get rid of obama care, that's the easy one. plabd r plaanother one, plant r planned parenthood, need to get rid of that. >> when mitt romney says he wants to get rid of planned parenthood, he means getting rid

of the health care that 3 million people a year rely on. mitt romney simply can't be trusted when it comes to women's health. ten past 6:00 on the east coast. after george clooney is going to be testifying at a congressional hearing on the human rights crisis in sudan. he accuses the sudanese government of war crimes against civilians. clooney, i long with activist colleague will be soledad's guest at 8:15 eastern time this morning on "starting point." make sure you tune in for that. 11 minutes past the hour. still ahead, moments of confusion and fear on a plane when a flight attendant flips out. passengers say she ranted about crashing and september 11th. the 911 dacalls t are out now. remember the old "sign field" line, can you spare a

square? apparently there's an entire city running out of toilet paper in a fight over money. this is not a joke but there's apparently not enough rolls left to last the end of this week. >> good gracious. >> i hope it's not your city, my friends. and a team sentenced by her mother to wear this shirt. >> oh, man. >> we're bog to tell you the story behind that.

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good morning. it is 15 minutes now past the hour. time to check stories making top news this morning. here's christine romans. a stunning sweep in the south for rick santorum. pulled off a six-point win over newt gingrich in alabama last night. mitt romney finished third. vowing afterward to win the nomination before the republican convention. but romney did win hawaii with a 20-point win over santorum. happening now, tsunami watch after a powerful 6.8 magnitude heart quake rocked japan. it happened to the same region that was hit last year triggering nuclear disaster at fukushima. minding your business, u.s. markets rally a big day, you guys. the dow closed well above 13,000 yesterday. the highest close since the end of 2007. the nasdaq above 3,000. that's never happened in history. both of them closing above those milestones. why? federal reserve says most of the nation's largest banks passed a

so-called stress test that also said the economy is recovering. you can't fight city hall and you may not be able to go to the bathroom there either. a toilet paper shortage. the health department says paper supplies at 11 buildings, including city hall, are dangerously low because of a budget battle. talk about tough love. after her 13-year-old daughter was caught shoplifting a louisiana mom made her wear a green t-shirt saying hide your money, hide your clothes, hide everything because i'm a thief. he wants her seventh grader to know the embarrassment she felt. i don't know, guys. what do you think? >> it's the second time this week that i've heard a story where a parent tries to do the public shame og of child for some kind of infraction like that. criminal infraction. >> i feel bad for the child but i so relate to the mom. you really embarrassed me, what do you do? >> i don't know where i fall on this one because i do think

sometimes kids need tough love but i'm not sure about the shaming part. >> she was embarrassed about the shoplifting now even more people know about the shoplifting. make a private conversation. i don't know. >> there are a bunch of psychologists who would weigh in on this one. >> take away from a laptop. i've got 5-year-old and 4-year-old. >> i have a 13-year-old. >> all of these people say positive re-enforcement works on kids, not punishment. >> not mine. nothing works on mine. >> this is one that moms will debate for centuries. >> i'm christine. >> on "early start," was the punishment worth the crime? grandmother facing charges for forcing a little girl to run to her death. also, did cheney apparently not too well liked by the neighbors to the north? that's canada, folks. what happened? you're watching "early start." nice. but, you know,

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21 minutes past 6:00 on the east coast. a grandmother is going to face capital murder charge accuse of forcing her own 9-year-old grand

daughter to run until she dropped dead. prosecutors say they're also seeking the death penalties. >> authorities say 9-year-old savannah harding died last month. her grandmother made her run four hours as punishment for lying about eating chocolate. there's the grandmother there. the little girl collapsed. paramedics came. a few days later the little girl was taken off of life support. at a press conference they said they were shocked by what happened. >> how it echlffected me and ho each one of you will tell you this effected them, a 9-year-old child was actually run to death in this day in time. >> it is shocking. and joining me now from birmingham, alabama, fair a ashleigh, her 8-year-old daughter natalie used to play with savannah. thank you for joining us this morning. you are a neighbor to this family. can you remember what you

happened that particular day, did you see anything? >> i did not see anything that day. my daughter, which, of course, natalie, she's one of the last to get off of the school bus. she rode it every afternoon with savannah. and on that particular day my daughter was -- after there were several kids let off the school bus that day, where savannah lives, there's other people that live down the driveway she lives on. after they let her out the grandmother did approach the school bus and told the bus driver that she was going to make the little girl run for eating the candy bar the day before until she couldn't run no more, is her exact words. my little girl was on the bus. my little girl seen her running at that time. >> your little girl saw her running? >> yes, ma'am. >> and savannah's grandmother, joyce gerard, what do you know about her?

>> i really don't know that much about her. i do know i went to pick my daughter up over there one day and she was screaming. i could tell that she was -- i don't want to use the word rough, but a mean-like lady. i could tell she was a mean lady. >> you said you went to pick up your daughter. were they having a play date? >> yes, ma'am. she went over there and spent the night. she actually spent the night several times and had went over there and played but it was strange because she would never let savannah come and spend the night with natalie, my daughter. >> the stepmother here, jessica may harding, do you know anything about her? >> i don't. she seemed very nice when i -- when i met her. but as far as anything, i've never been around them that much, you know. so ypt know. but like i said, i would just take my daughter over there and, you know, drop her out and they

would play for a while or she would spend the night. i would go and pick her up. it was brief, my meetings with them were brief. >> you never witnessed any punishment you thought was too severe for a child that age? >> nom no, ma'am. i never witnessed anything. now, my daughter over the past year has made several comments. >> like what? tell me what she said. >> she's told me likes, mommy, i feel so sorry for savannah. they make her run and pick up sticks. but i did not know the severity of it. i did not know that it was that serious. i thought maybe a lap or two, you know, but i never witnessed any kind of, you know, beatings or anything like that. >> and not run for three hours. you were on dr. drew show last night and so was danny bone, joyce gerard's defense attorney. here's what we he had to say. i'm quoting here.

let's listen, actually. >> mrs. girard lod her granddaughter as she loved all her other grandchildren and her children. joyce and savannah were extremely close. and under no circumstances did joyce garrard cause the death of her grandchild. >> how would you respond to that? >> i'm going to respond that, yes, she did. she come to the bus and told that she would make her run until she couldn't run anymore, and that's literally what she done. i feel like that she made -- savannah died in a harsh way and i feel like she should do the same. >> how is your daughter natalie coping with the loss of her friend? >> at first it was really hard on natalie. and -- but now she's doing a

whole lot better with it. she's doing a whole lot better with it now. but at first, yeah, it was tough. >> do you think her grandmother deserve ts the betdeath penalty? >> i do. i do. i think her granddaughter died in a harsh way, i think she should. savannah did. i think her grandmother should die in a harsh way, too. >> thank you for joining us this morning. >> thank you for having me. 27 minutes past 6:00. still to come on "early start," some pretty telling surveillance video. a homeless man diving through drive-thru window making a real poor choice. and also, a leisurely chase. look at that. just went on and on at a fairly slow speed. a couple taking place half dozen freeways later, guess what they found in the car after a slick

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this is big news. it is 6:30. welcome back. >> welcome back to "early start." >> time to check our top stories. rick santorum pulling off the stunning southern sweep in mississippi and alabama. newt gingrich finished second in both states. mitt romney coming in third. what were those polls saying yesterday? newt gingrich saying, you know what, too bad, i'm staying in the race. happening right now, a tsunami watch after a powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake rocked northern japan. defents secretary leon panetta arriving unannounce in

afghanistan overnight. in the same city where u.s. soldier's accuse of killing several women and children in a massacre. surprise end for officers after a long police chase in los angeles. they pursued a pickup truck on six freeways for more than half an hour at normal speeds. a patrol car performed a pit maneuver to get the driver to finally stop. the couple surrendered peacefully. rick santorum enjoying some unexpected southern comfort this morning after a stunning sweep -- >> not the drink. >> who knows. i don't know the guy. but the fovotes, alabama and mississippi, before they were even counted you've got to here what romney said about santorum. >> the desperate end of his campaign and trying in some way to boost his prospects -- >> the final numbers from the mississippi primary go something

like this. santorum, 33%. newt gingrich, 31%. mitt romney, 30%. and an even bigger margin in alabama, rick santorum scoring a si six-point. romney did manage to pull off hawaii. congratulations there. 20-point win over santorum. santorum sounding confident after the southern sweep as well. listen up. >> we want to make sure that everybody knows we're campaigning everywhere there are delegates because we are going to win the nomination. jonathan strong is back here roll call this morning. jonathan, start with you.

this is calculated strategy. at this point he's got to balance two things. on the one land he's got to drive his message. on the other hand, he's shown a propensity for gaffes and mistakes. mitt romney was suggesting there might be a desperate end in sight to rick santorum's campaign. have a listen to how he put it. >> oh, rats. we didn't do it. i apologize.

>> the funny thing is his campaign got caught last night quoted saying nobody expected romney to win alabama or mississippi. and, you know, just yesterday on cnn he was talking about how this is going to be the desperate end of santorum's campaign. obviously they made a mistake here raising the bar on expectations for last night and turned out to be a huge victory for santorum. very difficult night for romney. that being said the math is still difficult for santorum in term of delegates. romney has a sizable lead and the campaign that we have ahead of us will also, you know, contribute to that difficult math for santorum. >> let's look at other map. the exit polls because they tell a pretty interesting story. they really tell who the conservative voter truly is. and to that end, let's look at mississippi.

it shows that the folks who don't have college degrees, 57% of them were headed to the polls. it could be the republican gop voters. of them, 28% voted for mitt romney. 34% voted for santorum. 34% for gingrich. look at the bar in the middle. the highlighted bar. those who make under $100,000, they went for santorum as well. the evangelicals or born agains, they also went for rick santo m santorum. the picture wasn't a whole lot different in alabama, either. the winner take all in all of those categories as well. right there in the middle. it was rick santorum. my question to you, penny, where do newt's voters go if, in fact, newt wasn't maybe telling the entire truth that he's going to stay in all of the way to the convention and what if he does pull away from this fight, where do his supporters end up, do you think? >> well, and also i should say that i texted early this morning with rick santorum and he has already touched down in puerto

ri rico. so he's not drinking southern comfort, if anything, probably rum. >> wow, at 6:30 in the morning. i want to party with that guy. >> i don't think he goes there. >> i'm going to quote you on this one. >> please. anyway, clearly, clearly for conservative voters, for women, for pro lifers, for people who are pro family, social conservatives, rick is the top choice. and certainly newt gingrich was able to get some of those votes. but if he's out of the race they clearly will go to santorum and make him a front runner. >> you're so sure about that? >> yes, i am so sure about that. let me just tell you -- >> you don't think they'll just stay away with the polls? >> no, i don't think they will because they want to defeat obama. >> fair enough. >> the other point is newt gingrich has a choice right now. he can be a superstar or he can be a spoiler. and he has a decision to make and he's going to be thinking

that over very carefully and i hope that he does. >> jamie harrison, one quick moment to look at the delegate math. but my math, romney has 489 delegates. that's still a big lead over santorum. is there real math that can get santorum past this before the convention? >> i think santorum and gingrich are both thinking let's push this to the convention, let's deny the nomination to mitt romney because they are weak, we will have a fair shot at trying to broker a convention. so it's going to be very hard for santorum and hard for gingrich. but mitt romney has shown he's weak front runner. i don't think many republicans they think can beat obama with him at the head. >> all right. art, jamie, penny, jonathan, you stay stayed up late and early for us. we appreciate it. 38 minutes past the hour. a flight attendant screaming about a plane crash apparently

mental melt down. >> looks like they're physically restraining a flight attend dabt. >> okay. they're physically restraining the flight attendant? >> yeah, she's lost it. >> incredible rant that included references to 9/11. more on the 911 calls from inside that plane. you are going to hear them coming up next. g muscle -- 8% every 10 years. wow. wow. but you can help fight muscle loss with exercise and ensure muscle health. i've got revigor. what's revigor? it's the amino acid metabolite, hmb to help rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time. [ female announcer ] ensure muscle health has revigor and protein to help protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft. [ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge! with determination. courage. and all the points i earned with my citi thankyou card. [ male announcer ] the citi thankyou card. redeem points for travel on any airline with no blackout dates.

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stop in to meineke today for a free brake inspection and you'll say... my money. my choice. my meineke. welcome back. we have new details emerging about that frightening moment on board an american airlines plane when a flight attend can't started freaking out. >> we learned about what may have sparked her outburst. we're hearing some of the 911 calls from the people on the plane and worried about it, to say the least. alina cho is here this morping with the newest developments. >> can you imagine what it would be like to be on board that flight? >> no. >> the plane, remember, was headed from dallas to chicago. it had just left the gate and was head foeded for takeoff. that's when a flight attendant got on the pa system and started screaming making references to 9/11 and the plane was going to crash and talking about the bankruptcy reorganization.

passengers got righten it and jumped up and helped other flight attendant rest strain her. that's when the 911 calls started to pour in. >> hello, sir? >> it looks like they're physically restraining a flight attendant. >> okay. they're physically restraining a flight attendant? >> yeah. she's lost it. people are helping out. >> okay. yeah. they're restraining a flight attendant? >> yes, that's correct. >> i don't know what's happening. >> okay. we have got people coming to you. i want you to know that we've got people coming to you. okay? >> okay. >> and everything is -- you're going to be okay. >> okay. >> okay. as long as that plane doesn't take off, you are still fine. you're still on the ground, right? >> yeah, we're still on the ground. >> i mean, i think that it was better, i think, that the plane was on the ground, right? had it been in the air it would have been, i think, pure kay ross. >> i think so. >> i hear there's a police report out and you may have more detail on that? >> there is. a lot of people were wondering

what in the world would have sparked someone to do this. we are getting one big clue. co-workers are telling police that the flight attendant was bipolar and she may not have taken her medication. the flight attendant made a comment about a co-worker being killed on 9/11 when her plane went through the world trade center. now, on monday one of the passengerses who helped subdue her described the scene to soledad on "starting point." >> the plane was just taxiing off, right? beginning to do those announcements. what happened? is that the first sign you figured something was really wrong? >> the first thing when we noticed it seemed that nobody was in control. the flight attendant kept on coming over saying something was really wrong. you would hear from other flight attendants that the plane was fine, that we're going to continue to go. and as we kept on going and going towards to takeoff is when the flight attendant started to say that the plane was going to

crash and that's when i saw the pushing up front. >> i'm going to say this again. imagine being onboard that flight. it doesn't appear that an vest gators are going to file criminal charges. they are calling this, a quote, unquote, mental episode and they referred to her as a patient, not a suspect in the police report. american airlines, of course, will conduct its own investigation. as for the flight attendant, the airlines says she was taken to the hospital. beyond that, we're not exactly sure of her condition. on the one hand you can understand this if this was a mental episode if she hadn't taken her medication, you want to try to as an investigator cut her a break on criminal charges. on the other hand, imagine being a passenger. >> being up in the air and what could have happened. >> or future passengers, does she keep her job or not. those passengers, a lot of them said no one from the airlines said anything to them. you will have a crew soon and you will be moving on. >> looking at policy, as well. >> we appreciate, it is 45

minutes past the hour. soledad o'brien joins you now with a look at what is ahead on "starting point." good morning. >> hey, ladies. sorry. i was getting some work done. good morning. starting in just about ten minutes we're going to talk to george clooney. he is just back from a trip to susan and south sudan. the border is the focus of a lot of violence. he's going to be testifying on capitol hill today but first he will talk to us with his colleague and activist john pendergra pendergrass. the sudanese government is committing war crimes against civilians. plus, oscar winning actor and native new yorker adrien brody is going to join us. amazing cast. and really focuses on public schools and public schoolteachers. we'll discuss that film which is going to open on friday and how he was able to research his role. that's all ahead this morning on "starting point." we'll see you guys right back after the commercial break. pina colada... i can't imagine where she is... orange creme... [ grocery store pa ] clean up in aisle eight. found her!

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49 minutes past the hour. time to check stories making news this morning. here is christine romans. >> rick santorum pulled off a stunning sweep in alabama and mississippi last night. romney did win hawaii with a 20-point win over santorum. next up, missouri caucus on saturday. puerto rico primary on sunday. and illinois primary on tuesday. homeless man in south florida turning a fast food drive-thru window into a dive-thru window. a wick thinking burger king cashier grabbed the would be thief's shirt. another worker slammed the suspect on to the floor and held him until police arrived. dick cheney's security people think toronto is too dangerous for him to visit. former vice president and his daughter canceling an appearance

there next month. their personal safety was at risk from protesters who call him a war criminal. ashleigh, zoraida? >> my home country being rough? i can't believe it. thank you. so homeless people being used as internet hot spots. i am not kidding. this has all been kropg up at the south by southwest festival. is it a good thing, a bad thing? some varying opinions on this. you're doing to hear about it. you're watching "early start." i am loving this greek yogurt. i like yoplait. it is yoplait. but you said it was greek.

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the benefits of calcium in a sweet, delicious treat. enjoy vitafusion calcium gummies today. it is a controversial story coming out of south by southwest. that's a festival. advertising agency recruited 13 homeless folks to act as wi-fi spots. >> yep. you heard it. that guy right there wearing the t-shirt saying i'm a homeless wi-fi spot. they're paid $20 per day and they carry 4g signal that's supplied by the ad agency bbh. that's the brains behind the idea but they did consult homeless agencies and here is one of the men who took part. have a listen. >> i swallowed my pride. you know, at first i was kind of

embarrassed about it. but being homeless has changed me, a different outlook and life about people. >> so here to explain and discuss this is head of the innovation for bbh. so the first time i heard this story i i think i had some of the reaction that other people had and that is, what, are you kidding me? how could this happen. then i started to read a little bit more about it and i think i'm getting a better read on it. but i'd like to hear from you. for those who cannot believe that this is going on, why is it a good thing? >> yeah, actually it's been a very positive thing. anyone who has spoken to any of the participants or the shelter that we work with, the number of homelessed a video indicates that have come to support the idea is exceptional. it's built after the street newspaper model. street newspapers are those print publications that support homeless populations in multiple cities around the world. >> when you see the homeless guy getting on the subway selling newspapers that is a project

created by work done by homeless people and then they actually earn the money. are you saying if i extrapolate, this is the new age media sales, it's just like that, but we're doing it digitally? >> yeah, i mean, our goal was trying to create something that street newspapers and homeless organizations could learn from and adopt to make sure that they are very important street newspaper model would adapt for a digital age. the reason that street newspapers are important are not just the financial benefit to the homeless individual, work is a key port and very important but another aspect which is the personal interaction with the actual homeless individual. >> i do know that some of these guys, and there's only about 13, i think, or so of them involved in this, the homeless men and one woman, who are down there. i know they said they like the interaction with people but sometimes i wonder what a interaction really is and if they understand some of the interaction. i want to read a tweet from one of the people at south by south wet. anyone else nind using homeless

persons as homeless hot spots at south by southwest disturbing, dehumanizing and offensive? it did make me wonder maybe the people who are stopping by and talking to he's guys are doing it in an exploitive way or running them down without them knowing it. do wyou see the problem there perhaps? >> certainly we listen to every ounce of criticism around the issue. that said, if you speak to any of the people involved or the shelter that we worked with, you will see that it's aing chully quite humanizing. this is an opportunity for these homeless individuals that are participating in this program to say, you know warks they run this like their own small business. they have an opportunity to tell their story. these individuals have felt very empowered by it. it's been a very positive experience for them. they get a chance to actually give them some perspective op what it's like being a homeless person. >> we should note as well this is all done by pay pal.

anyone who wants to do this, suggested donation is $2 for 125 minutes. that money goes right to the homeless person supplying the wi-fi, right? >> that's correct. 100% of the proceeds go to the specific individual you choose for to it go to. if you still go today to homele homelesshotspots.org, although they are no longer out and about at south by southwest, you can still donate. it's helping these guys, a, tell their story, and, b,area their money. >> do you think the problem is in the t-shirt that says i'm a homeless hot spot. do you think maybe the marketing could change? >> that's potentially one of the bigger issues. we made an effort to be pro v provocati provocative. ironically, one of the staunchest defenders of the t-shirt, the actual participants. >> the homeless people. >> they thought they were great

marketing tools. >> great t-shirt. don't forget that. >> that's true. thanks for coming on to talk b it. i don't think the story is over. i appreciate you shedding some light. so that is "early start." i'm ashleigh banfield. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. "starting point" starts right now. >> our "starting point" this morning is winning dixie. a rick santorum weep in the south makes things lots more interesting this morning. >> we did it again. >> britney spears said that, oops, we did it again. he has the momentum but not the money or the math. those two things still belong to mitt romney. >> senator santorum is at the desperate end of his campaign and is trying in some way to boost his ross r prospects. plus, touching down at a tense time. defense secretary leon panetta arrives in afghanistan as new fury erupts over the massacre of